Latest Articles

Heroin Opiates

Research articles about the effects of heroin and Opiates.

Opiates & Sexual Function

The relationship between opiate drug use and sexual activity is a complex mix of pharmacological and socioeconomic factors. The high cost of maintaining a habit leads both women and men into prostitition as an alternative acquisitive crime.

UK Opiate Usage

Consumption, Attitudes and Prices

There are many different estimates of the amount of opiates consumed by dependent users. Few of these can be regarded as entirely reliable, as the amounts and purities of the drug seized can vary considerably. Most of the research into opiate consumption in the UK was conducted in the mid-1980s.

Heroin and Employment

Drug use, and particularly a drug conviction, is widely considered to be a barrier to employment with an increasing number of employers conducting pre-employment, "with cause", or random urine screening. Consequently, drug users experience difficulties in finding and maintaining employment, particularly in "safety-sensitive" occupations. Bowden et al reported "arrest record, both preceding and during treatment, based on official police data was the single factor significantly associated with employment"

Methadone Information

Methadone (physeptone) is an opiate drug commonly used to counter the effects of opiate withdrawal syndromes without the euphoriant effects of heroin or morphine. The effects of methadone are longer lasting than for heroin, such that it is common to prescribe a daily dose, whereas a heroin user would need to take the drug every 4-6 hours.